---
type: "Bill"
title: "Private Investigator Act: license: limited liability company."
description: "Existing law, the Private Investigator Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of private investigators by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20172018"
identifier: "SB 559"
citation: "California SB 559 (20172018)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Private Investigator Act: license: limited liability company."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Morrell"]
version_count: 10
action_count: 38
vote_count: 10
first_action: "2017-02-16"
last_action: "2017-10-07"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f639531c-fdb2-4ecc-9d17-471522834596"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB559"
source_hash: "d208cf660b29006369e452d3cbc74a3dfa81785d7327bf49d7217f2dec0814ad"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"]
---

# California SB 559 (20172018) — Private Investigator Act: license: limited liability company.

Existing law, the Private Investigator Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of private investigators by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **02/16/17 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB559&version=20170SB55999INT)
2. **03/28/17 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB559&version=20170SB55998AMD)
3. **04/06/17 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB559&version=20170SB55997AMD)
4. **04/24/17 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB559&version=20170SB55996AMD)
5. **07/18/17 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB559&version=20170SB55995AMD)
6. **09/05/17 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB559&version=20170SB55994AMD)
7. **09/07/17 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB559&version=20170SB55993AMD)
8. **10/07/17 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB559&version=20170SB55991CHP)
9. **SB559** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB559)
10. **09/19/17 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB559&version=20170SB55992ENR)

## Votes

- SB 559 Morrell Senate Third Reading By KILEY — **76–2** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Placed on suspense file — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Special Consent Calendar # SB559 — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary] — **12–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended. — **16–0** (pass) · lower
- Unfinished Business SB559 Morrell Concurrence — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Judiciary] — **9–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **11–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Morrell — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2017-02-16** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2017-02-17** From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 19.
- **2017-03-02** Referred to Coms. on B., P. & E.D. and JUD. `referral-committee`
- **2017-03-14** Set for hearing March 27.
- **2017-03-27** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 9. Noes 0. Page 488.) (March 27). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, amendment-passage`
- **2017-03-28** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD. `amendment-passage, reading-2, referral-committee, reading-1`
- **2017-04-04** Set for hearing April 18.
- **2017-04-06** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD. `reading-2, referral-committee, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1`
- **2017-04-20** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 747.) (April 18). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, amendment-passage`
- **2017-04-24** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, reading-2, referral-committee, reading-1`
- **2017-05-01** Set for hearing May 8.
- **2017-05-03** May 8 hearing postponed by committee.
- **2017-05-04** Set for hearing May 15.
- **2017-05-15** May 15 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
- **2017-05-19** Set for hearing May 25.
- **2017-05-25** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 1187.) (May 25). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2017-05-26** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2017-05-26** Ordered to special consent calendar.
- **2017-05-31** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 1357.) Ordered to the Assembly. `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2017-06-01** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1`
- **2017-06-15** Referred to Coms. on B. & P. and JUD. `referral-committee`
- **2017-07-03** Joint Rule 62(a) suspended.
- **2017-07-03** Assembly Rule 56 suspended.
- **2017-07-10** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (July 10). Re-referred to Com. on JUD. `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2017-07-17** From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 11). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, amendment-passage`
- **2017-07-18** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, reading-2, referral-committee, reading-1`
- **2017-08-23** August 23 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
- **2017-09-01** From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (September 1). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage, amendment-passage`
- **2017-09-05** Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `reading-1, amendment-passage, reading-2`
- **2017-09-06** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2017-09-07** Read third time and amended. `amendment-passage, reading-3, reading-1`
- **2017-09-07** Ordered to third reading.
- **2017-09-13** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 76. Noes 2. Page 3272.) Ordered to the Senate. `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2017-09-14** In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
- **2017-09-14** Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2928.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **2017-09-21** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 5:30 p.m.
- **2017-10-07** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2017-10-07** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 569, Statutes of 2017.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/f639531c-fdb2-4ecc-9d17-471522834596`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).